This site is for people who like plants -- growers, enthusiasts, aesthetes, novices and professionals, those who appreciate wild things and those who appreciate the cultivated. I garden in Chelsea, and I've been visiting people's yards for 20+ years in the course of my work. My goal is to make this blog a community project, so if you share my interests, please consider becoming a participant and contributing content -- Guerin. Info: guerinw@gmail.com

Thursday, March 29, 2012

March 28, 2012: a somatic mutation

The big excitement today was when the crew brought back this spruce branch from an otherwise normal-looking norway spruce. For all I know these somatic mutations occur regularly, but this was the first time any of us had run into it in nature. Now . . I expect someone will e-mail me and tell me we could have made a fortune propagating this odd growth form. But we had a job to do -- which included removing the tree.

This mahonia was in full flower today. Even with the mild winter (well, I guess there were a few cold days), there was damage to the leaves, but overall it made for a pretty-enough site, and bright enough for it to catch my eye as I was driving by.